Home Page :: Muirfield eNews :: eNews 1/14/19

In this issue:

Pond Safety: Stay off the Ice!

With temperatures predicted to be in the single digits this weekend, the ponds will begin to freeze. This hardly means the ponds can be considered safe to venture on to for any reason. The ponds are retention basins and are subject to unnoticed fluctuations of water depth. This makes the ice very unstable and it can easily break.

Please talk to your children and teens and warn them to stay off the ice, both around Muirfield Village and those on the neighboring golf courses. These ponds are never safe for playing ice hockey or ice skating.

Signs are posted reminding residents that swimming, skating and boating are not permitted, but people have been seen on the ponds already this week. When we are alerted, we make every effort to remind them to stay away from the ponds. However, it takes everyone to prevent a tragedy. If you see anyone on the ice, please say something to them. If its during business hours please call the office at 614-889-0922 and our staff will intervene.

Dublin has an ice rink and sledding hill open to the public, weather and temperature permitting. Visit the Sledding and Ice Skating page to learn more.

Update Your Email Address

If you have started using a new email address in the past year or aren’t certain if we have your correct email address, pleaseupdate your email address hereor emailinfo@muirfieldassociation.comwith your name, Muirfield street address, and preferred email address.

It is especially important to give us this information if you receive your invoice and voting ballot in email.Without your correct email address, we will not be able to send you either. This could cause you to miss your invoice (and possibly incur late charges) and you may not receive your ballot.

Annual assessment invoices will be mailed sometime soon but an exact date has not been determined, so please send us your updated information by the end of this week.

Winter Mailbox Damage

Along with winter weather comes an increased potential for mailbox damage by snowplows, refuse trucks and other drivers. If your mailbox is damaged this winter, here's what you need to know.

Do damaged mailboxes need to be fixed?

Yes. If your mailbox is damaged, it must be repaired or possibly replaced, depending on the extent of the damage. The repair cost will depend on the extent of work the mailbox needs. You may fix your own mailbox, but it must beidenticalto the other units on your street.

Who pays for repairs if my mailbox is damaged?

The short answer is the cost falls on the person who requests the repairs. If you call and request repairs, we will fix the unit and send an invoice to you. If your mailbox is damaged by a third party, the party who damaged the unit must contact the office in order for us to bill them.

Specific organizations, listed below, have provided guidance on what to do if your mailbox is damaged by them.

City Snowplow (or other city vehicle) Damage

If your mailbox is damaged by the snowplow or other city vehicle, report it to the Streets and Utilities Department at the City of Dublin at 614-410-4750. (Note: trash and recycling trucks are not city vehicles; they are owned by Rumpke and are discussed below.)Give them your name and Muirfield address and let them know your mailbox was damaged by a snowplow or other city-owned vehicle. Be sure to emphasize that you live in Muirfield Village.

After you report the incident, the city will contact the Association office, our staff will replace the unit, and the city will be invoiced. The city is very responsive and usually contacts the office quickly. They may place a temporary mailbox at your residence until staff can replace your unit.

The city has stated that the homeowner must contact the city personally to request repairs. The Association office cannot request repairs on behalf of an owner.

Trash or Recycling Truck Damage

The city contracts with Rumpke for trash and recycling services in Dublin. If a Rumpke vehicle damages your mailbox, please contact Streets and Utilities at 614-410-4750 and ask for John Babyak. Mr. Babyak will contact Rumpke to negotiate for repairs on behalf of the resident. He stated it is much more effective for a resident to contact him than to try to work with Rumpke directly.

Please report the incident as soon as possible since Rumpke’s investigation may take some time. Mr. Babyak will contact the resident or office regarding repairs after working with a Rumpke representative.

U.S. Mail Truck

In the event a mail truck causes damage, call the Dublin post office at 614-889-0763. Please try to provide as much information as possible to the post office, such as the date the damage likely occurred. If the post office agrees to take responsibility, they will need to contact the office and supply their billing information and the address of the damaged mailbox.

Other Third Parties (other drivers, delivery trucks, commercial vehicles, etc.)

If a third party admits to damaging your mailbox and agrees to pay for repairs, ask them to call the office at 614-889-0922. Once they call the staff will repair or replace the mailbox and send an invoice to them.

At your discretion, you may choose to pay for the repairs yourself and then settle up with the third party. This is your decision; however, please be advised that unless the third party contacts the Association office directly and agrees to be billed, the homeowner will be responsible for all repair costs.

Unknown Driver

If a mailbox is damaged by an unknown driver, unfortunately the cost of repairs falls on the homeowner. We recommend that the homeowner requests repairs even if they do not know how the unit was damaged. If a third party comes forward and contacts the office, we can invoice them instead of the owner. It’s been our experience that drivers may take a few days after the event to contact the homeowner to take responsibility.

Mailbox Repair Turnaround Time

Our staff builds all mailbox units in house and makes every effort to keep an adequate inventory of complete units on hand. Our goal is to repair or replace units as soon as possible. In most cases, this is a very short time frame and is almost always within a few business days. During particularly bad weather that results in a lot of mailboxes being damaged at the same time, replacement may be delayed.

Only my mailbox flag was damaged. Can you replace that?

Unfortunately, we no longer have replacement flags. If you need a new mailbox flag, you may purchase any standard, red mailbox flag similar to one pictured below. Decorative and specialty flags are not permitted. The Association can replace the entire mailbox for $40, which comes with a new flag, but purchasing your own flag will be much more cost effective.

How do I request repairs?

Residents may request repairs by calling the office at 614-889-0922, emailinginfo@muirfieldassociation.com, orby placing a request in the members area.

If a third party has damaged the unit, residents shouldnotcontact the office. Rather, they should contact the party who damaged the unit and ask them to call the office at 614-889-0922. As stated above, they will need to supply the address of the damaged mailbox, their billing information and any other pertinent information.

When is payment due?

Snow Removal in Muirfield

The City of Dublin, not Muirfield Association, is responsible for plowing all streets in Muirfield Village. (The only exceptions are the streets in the gated communities and Glenbarr, which Muirfield Association plows.)

The City has a curb to curb snow removal policy. Dangerous hills, curves, and bridges are monitored and treated as necessary throughout an event. All public streets within Dublin receive snow removal service according to the following priorities that have been established based on traffic volumes and speeds:

Priority 1:Major arteries are plowed first. These streets will continue to receive treatment as long as weather conditions continue. Blowing snow and freezing roads once snow has thawed can require continued treatment.

Residents can assist the snow plowing process in several ways:

• Do not shovel or plow snow into City streets.
• Do not shovel or plow snow into driveway aprons.
• Do not shovel or plow snow around fire hydrants or mailboxes.
• Keep distance from the snow plows.
• Keep children away from snow plows
• Remove parked cars from the street.
• Do not attempt to pass a snow plow.

Residents are required to keep their sidewalks, curbs and gutters in repair and free of snow, ice, debris and obstructions. Depositing snow or ice on any public sidewalk, street, bike path, road or highway is not permitted.

When shoveling a driveway, place as much snow as possible from the driveway apron on the “downstream” side (left side of apron as you are standing at the street looking up the driveway). This reduces the amount of snow that the plow will catch and push back into the driveway apron as it passes.

For seasonal information on snow and ice removal, call 614.410.4750 or visithttp://dublinohiousa.gov/services/snow-removal/. During a snow emergency, snow removal information can be obtained by calling Streets and Utilities at 614.410.4750.

Do you want to know what's happening with snow removal? Get information in real time with the City of Dublin'sSnowGo!

Published January 14, 2019

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